Book Lottery

Here's a quickie blog post - one long, bored afternoon I decided to write out on tiny slips of paper the title of every book that I own and haven't read yet, folded them up into minuscule squares, and filled up a small jar with it. This way, whenever I'm completely stumped and don't know what to read next, all I have to do is give the jar a good shake and pick a slip of paper with a book title on it. I'll have no choice but to read it! (That's the agreement I have with myself.)

here it is! My Owl Jar on my bookshelf.

I was worried when I started this project that it would have interesting and mixed results. For instance, what if I picked a book within a series? I solved that issue by only putting the most recently unread title into the jar. When that one is finished, I'll put in the next unread title in the series into the jar until I eventually get to it. Of course, I won't put in titles that I've already read, and will throw out the slips of paper out once they're done.
But there's another problem that I was worried about. So, I'm nearly done with a bunch of library books and other titles I borrowed from friends, and I decided it was finally time to work out my system.
I took down the owl jar, gave it a shake, and pulled out my next book.

I bought this book on a bargain bin - it was on sale because the spin is
printed upside own from the rest of the book ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The title I ended up pulling was a huge biography on Catherine the Great - obviously left unread because it's, well, sort of intimidating. It isn't that I'm uninterested in Catherine the Great. I'm totally game! Otherwise I wouldn't own it at all, right? It's just not exactly light, beach reading. I knew, of course, that this would be an experimental arrangement. I didn't expect to get something so dense right out of the gate. All of my history books are for research-y things. Needless to say, I'm intimidated!

574 pages in this book ⊙﹏⊙ ulp!

General, Run of the Mill Blog Updates

Hey there, here's a little update post. Things might look a little different on the blog - We have a spiffy new layout! 

There are a few visual kinks I'd like to work out. But for now, I'll just let them be. (I don't think they're bothering anyone but me - but if you have any recommendations - please comment back and I'll try my best to fix them!)

With that out of the way, my October Reading List is going great! I'll try to have a new review or two up for you to read before next week! Thanks to my friends who suggested tons of great books. There's no way I'll be able to read them all before the end of the month - it's possible I might still being reading some in November! (I don't think anyone would mind that, would they?)

Speaking of Next Month - it'll be NaNoWriMo again before you know it! I'll be participating again this year, and you can check my daily progress with the neat little widget in the side bar. I've been doing tons of research for this project since the end of last winter - now I just have to write it! Thankfully, a lot of my friends are participating, which can be a helpful thing. I'll personally be writing in a notebook, and keeping count with the Writeometer app and maybe keeping tabs on other participants in my area via the NaNoWriMo website. Last year I attended a write-in at my local library and met tons of cool people. I may not have time to this year, but check your library to see if such things are available in your area!

That's all for now - later, Toots!

Spooky-Scary Reading List!

Just like last year, and the year before that, and the year before that one, forever and ever, America, The Earth, The Universe, etc., I celebrate the month of October by curating a reading list appropriate for Halloween - to get me into the holiday spirit.
Halloween isn't my favorite holiday, but it's the only one I dislike less than all the others. I don't especially like horror, costumes, or, shit, even pumpkin spice. I am, however, a morbid individual. It's hard to explain my rational. I'm not scared or disturbed by horror easily - I actually find a lot of it pretty silly. This may be owing to having grown up on Mystery Science Theater and just being desensitized by it through satire. So when I started devoting the month of October to reading horror novels - a genre that I don't usually give much attention to - it was an attempt to try something new and maybe find something that actually could scare me. But mostly it was just to get myself hyped about a holiday that I would otherwise just ignore. It's a fun tradition, and one that I look forward to, but more often than not I'm unimpressed with the books that I find.
Because I'm Super unversed in the horror genre in novels, I still depend heavily on the recommendations of others. I've read enough Stephen King and HP Lovecraft to know that I'm bored by it and hate it, but I know that there's got to be better horror novels out there. Occasionally I'll actually find some. But if it isn't Stephen King or HP Lovecraft, everyone seems to draw a blank. So it seems to me, the horror genre isn't as expansive as I'd hope. There may be a devoted market for it, but it doesn't seem to touch it's cousins, sci-fi and fantasy.

Anyway, over the course of the month I will be unveiling the creepy little books I've been reading - so stay tuned for that!

Friday Payday: Shopping for the book lover

I've been meaning to write about this, but maybe the time is now.
I love the line Out of Print - you can find your favorite vintage book covers printed on t-shirts, tote bags, iPhone cases - and book inspired accessories galore!
For a "limited time" their pull-over sweaters are on sale for $30 - which is the moment I've been waiting for, to be honest. I snapped up a Le Petite Prince sweater without a backwards thought. I've been eyeing it for a while, and I can't wait until it gets cool enough for me to wear, as I'm sure it will get grody from never wanting to take it off.

aside: I'm one of those dreaded aunties who will never buy children toys as gifts - but my favorite books. For newborns I always buy a copy of Runaway Bunny, and when they're old enough to have a story time, I'll get around to sharing The Little Prince. I only read the book when I was still in high school while trying to translate it from French, except I read it in English to get a clearer understanding. Anyway, I'm very sentimental about this book and well up a little when thinking about it.

I have a few other products from Out of Print, including the Jane Eyre tote bag which I've beat up and patched back up as much as I could. It would be better to buy a new tote bag to replace it at this point, but I have a hard time letting it go because Jane Eyre! I was also given one of their Pride & Prejudice notebooks for Christmas last year. The neat thing about those is that while the pages are lined, the lines are actually teeny-tiny text (from Huckleberry Finn, I think). This line is amazing and fun - but it doesn't end there! There's a little for me and a little for you; with every purchase they will donate a book to a child in need. It doesn't get any sweeter than that.

Seconds, anyone?

Comic fans everywhere are excited to see Bryan Lee O'Malley's newest graphic novel, Seconds, to be released. Well, some comic fans. It's not everyone's cup of tea. I'm one of those - Scott Pilgrim, the major title that O'Malley is well known for - is a series I pointedly disliked. I liked the cute, quirky art and character designs. I got exhausted pretty quickly with the constant pop-culture references, though. And then there's Scott Pilgrim, the titular character himself - I couldn't stand him. I get that the major appeal to this series is that readers associated with him, but God, why would you want to? Scott Pilgrim is pretty horrible. I understand that if you stuck around for longer than the first volume, the way that I didn't, he undergoes a character development. But this is a good example of one of those times when I just couldn't waste my time waiting for it to happen. I'm not going to consume precious time and money waiting for an annoying character to finally become likable after 5 volumes or whatever. I'm sorry, I'll sit that one out, thanks though.
Granted, I am the Pope of "You Should Read The Book Instead of Watching The Movie, Because If You're Only Going To Do One, Reading is Better." But this is one of those times when I saw the movie instead. My friends sort of threw that back into my face (you know, "well, you should have read the books instead." But if you lean in close you can hear me whisper, "Shut up, I do what I want.")   It didn't make me love Scott Pilgrim any more, but I got a crash course on the series. I also didn't read Lost at Sea, though it seemed like a better choice for me. On the other hand, there's still that problem with characters being really bratty, shallow, and annoying.

It's about that time that I admit that this isn't a review for Seconds. I haven't read it yet, but I've read the premise and I think I wouldn't mind it. It seems marginally more mature and interesting. (I mean "mature" as in "grown up," btw) I've stated my feelings on O'Malley's works, but if any of you have read this book and would still recommend it to me (or not!), please leave a comment! Maybe this will be the book that will change my mind.

April Photo Challenge

I got a signal boost on Tumblr about a daily photo challenge on Books & Cupcakes for the month of April. I decided to play along with my Instagram account & Crappy phone camera. Check them out under the cut!

February is "Bad Romance" Month

This is something I'm planning for February that I'm too excited to keep to myself! So I really love doing monthly-themed reading lists. February is a good time for some romance novels, right? I totally agree. But Valentine's day always brought out the worst in me, so I don't necessarily want a sweet, cutesy, swoony romance novel. Nope! Not I.
I've been saving these titles all year to do this - because this year I want to read some BAD Romances! I don't just mean trashy, or badly written. I mean "WTF were they thinking?!" I mean, the romance novels that are so horrid that I've been told they've marked some of the readers for life. Even better? Some of them are considered classics today: incest, rape, even Christmas, She's My Sister, She's My Daughter, She's My Sister AND My Daughter!!

I don't usually like Romance Novels because there's this stigma around them, right? No one with good taste should read Romances! But that's totally false - you're allowed to read whatever you want. I've been picking apart Chick-Lit and Chick-Flicks lately - in a purely academical way. (Riiiiiight.) Just what makes them so supposedly bad? They always follow a distinct formula, even when they're original. But how is that any different from Action movies? Are movies marketed for men any better? What could make a movie or novel that is marketed towards one gender still appeal to the other? And what about classic "chick-flicks" like When Harry Met Sally, Annie Hall, and Steel Magnolias that even men profess to love? What makes those special when certainly there are others that aren't as well known that could be even better than those examples I just gave. Those answers are tricky to find, and probably differ from person to person - but I think we can mostly agree when something is just balls to the walls crazy (sometimes crazy good, sometimes crazy bad?)
When I say these are "Bad Romances," I want everyone to understand that they're just especially out there - even if they are well liked and fan favorites. These are no Jane Austen novels. They're not even Danielle Steele. They are in a category all of their own.
Can't want to show you what I've picked out for us - until next month!

Un-Popular Opinion Time

So I've been thinking. As much as I talk about books that I like here, I also want to talk about books I don't like. I was sort of thinking that, though I'm an advocate for not banning books, there are certainly some popular books I wouldn't mind if no one ever read - that way I wouldn't have to hear about them anymore. I have the idea in my head that the people who love the books that I hate and hate the books that I love are the same people. So today I decided to spill my guts out and talk about the books that I HATE. This doesn't mean I think you're wrong if they're your favorites, because even though I'm an ass I don't think I'm that big of an ass. I just happen to think that some well-loved books ain't all that. So without Further ado...

Nancy Tillman's series of ugly, mushy, badly photo-shopped children's books, starting with "On the Night You Were Born." I know this is a popular choice among the clueless for baby-showers and junk, but this is really a picture book for Mom's and Grandma's before it is for children. I've heard that some people think it's "pretty," but all I see is saturated photos with a dingy photoshop filter thrown over it. If that wasn't bad enough, the story can't even redeem it. It's just as disgusting and sentimental as you'd fear. As parents, please don't subject your children to this junk, unless you want to kill your child's interest in reading as early as possible.

Next is, yes, Goodnight Moon. I know many people have fond memories of this book. It is, after all, a classic. But not everyone has to like the classics. I remember - even as a kid - thinking that this book was nonsense and aggravating. Maybe I thought it was too simple, but I harbored no warm feelings for it. I've since made my peace with it, and as a matter of fact Margaret Wise Brown's other bunny book, Runaway Bunny, continues to be one of my all time favorite children's books. (I've even considered getting a Runaway Bunny tattoo, 'cept I'm a bit of a coward)

I knew this post wasn't going to make me popular, because this is one of my all time least favorite books, and it's dearly well loved by many people. Why did I hate The Outsiders? Part of it had to do with it's popularity, actually, and I'm a total book snob (or else I wouldn't be writing this post). In high school, we read it as an English assignment, and while the entire class enjoyed it (any small town high school English teacher would be encouraged by that feat). I was unimpressed and failed to see what made it so special, and that kind of pissed me off. I could have suggested an entire list of better books we should have read instead, I felt, and I probably could have. I had a real knack for pairing the right person with the right book.
Maybe I should have been a high school English teacher after all.

Will I hold nothing back? Is Nothing Sacred? Now, why didn't I like A Wrinkle in Time? It's up there with The Outsiders, for me, as highly recommended by Sage Adults that turned out to be a crashing disappointment. I remember reading it and feeling like the book it's self was just too pretentious - like the author wanted me to feel stupid, even for a child. It seriously made me doubt my own intellect, until I got older and tried to re-read the series and I realized that I wasn't crazy after all. This really is the sort of soaring bore of a book adults would try to shove into children's faces, forgetting that their tastes may not be the same. This doesn't mean that the world of children's books is so small, however, that they can't find something on their own that is more to their interests.

Another SUPER pretentious book? How about Philip Pullman's Dark Material's trilogy? This time, it is personal. Not only was it pretentious, but it wasn't even accidental. Pullman set out to write an anti-children children's book - a denouncement on C.S. Lewis' The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, for being too sentimental about childhood and for using Christian allegory. Pullman, of course, is an Atheist. As a Catholic, that does grate on my nerves. It seems awfully shitty of him to take such liberties on children, and yes, it's very arrogant and pretentious. I think he sucks a whole ton for writing "Atheist propaganda" for children, but what I hate him even more for is that he's using these books as a platform to belittle children's intellect. A child will decide on their own wither or not Christianity is for them, as they will certainly find out that adulthood can be either awesome or awful with time. But children don't need his nihilism hammered into their skulls, really.
Other than that, this is a really strong, well written series. I remember when it was handed to me in high school, it came with a warning that I had to be mature enough to read it. I'm certain I was, but I'm grateful I at least had the warning first. (In fact, as an High School English teacher, be sure that this would be on the reading list. It is a good test of maturity.)

So... that felt good to get off of my chest. You may not agree with my assessments, and I have a feeling this is going to be controversial. I didn't go after the books that are popular to hate, after all. Disagree with me? Agree? Leave me a comment and we can talk about it.

Happy New Year! and some Book-centric Social Media Sites

Happy New Year, everyone! I'm sorry I've gotten a little post-shy lately, but I think it's understandable and forgivable due to the holidays. Horrifically, unlike some, I was actually working through most of it. This means less free time for reading. But a book review is soon to come, so keep on the look out for it! Also, to make up for lost time, this update is going to be quite huge.

To start with, Here's an announcement: with the New Year, I decided to start something I think is pretty cool. Along with my book reviews, I'm going to include a unique illustration inspired by that book. This is because there's only two things I really love in this world, and that's reading and drawing. I think it would be irresponsible not to share both of those loves with you here, don't you think?

Now, I decided to try out some different Social Media websites created for readers. I've been using GoodReads for years now, and though it's still the bigger site of it's kind out there, many of it's users recently started moving over to new platforms after it was bought out by Amazon. This doesn't bother me much, personally. But I decided to scope out what else is out there. There is also Shelfari, which I'd used for many years before I found out about GoodReads. I much rather GoodReads of the two for many reasons, though. I don't like the idea of starting from scratch on any of these new sites, but I wanted to see if any had something interesting and new to offer me.

• BookLikes may be the most unique so far. It borrows some features I enjoyed from GoodReads (like the progress bar) and it seems to have a similar blogging function as Tumblr. This may very well become the new site for me. I've yet to explore all of it's functions, but what I see I like. Follow Me There
• Riffle is being described as "like Pinterest for books." Sort of, I guess. But I'm not convinced that I like it. The layout is beautiful and very reminiscent of Pinterest, but unlike Pinterest the focus is only on books. I suppose it's more fun when you get to mingle with other users, because there's a questionaire feature that let's you use books as answers, and cool list feature that might help you find something new to read. But other than that, I feel like it's a fancy toy on Christmas morning - the interest will fizzle pretty quickly. It is, however, still in beta - so there's lots of room to grow! Follow Me There
• Slice is my least favorite of all that I've tried out this morning. It, too, is still in beta - so hopefully it grows up with time. But for now, it's not much more than your Facebook feed, filtered out so that anything book-centric shows up. This is because you're restricted to linking up your Facebook account to it. Personally, I think that what happens on Facebook should STAY on Facebook. There aren't many redeeming features. It's pretty bland. I'd pass on it.

End of Year Book Survey

Another survey I'm borrowing from the blog Perpetual Page Turner (including her graphics). As this is a baby-fledgling, low-traffic Book Blog (only a year old), some of these questions might be a little tricky for me to answer. But I'll go for it anyway!

1. Best Book You Read In 2013?

It has to be Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell, even though it was the freshest in my memory.

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

I guess I'll just admit it here - A Tale For The Time Being wasn't what I'd thought it would be. But also The Statistical Probability Of Love At First Sight (which I didn't finish or review) was a let down.

 3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2013? 

The Ocean At The End of The Lane - I'd thought I was DONE with Neil Gaiman, and he surprised me.

 4. Book you read in 2013 that you recommended to people most in 2013?

Haha, Fangirl, once again. But also a few of my Catholic books like On Heaven and Earth and Abbess of Andalusia, interestingly.

 5. Best series you discovered in 2013?

Since I've really only started two series' this year, and that was The Parasol Protectorate and Game of Thrones. Both are very good, but very different.

 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2013?

Rainbow Rowell

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?

Abbess of Andalusia, because up until now I'd never been a strong reader of non-fiction OR religious literature.

 8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2013?

 The Ocean At The End of The Lane

 9. Book You Read In 2013 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

I don't usually re-read books :/

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2013?

(I couldn't pick)

11. Most memorable character in 2013? 

Oh, yikes! That's not easy. Um... Reagan from Fangirl, because she reminds me of my friend Danielle so much it's scary.

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2013?

I'm sure there were several, but the one that stands out to me was actually Eat, Pray, Love

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2013? 

The Alchemist - the timing was just so right, even though I'd been holding on to it for a year before I got around to reading it.

 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2013 to finally read? 

I'm so happy this is a question, because I've been feeling really sheepish about this until now but I have to answer Eat, Pray, Love again

 15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2013?

“Am I crazy?" she asked. "I feel like I am sometimes."
"Maybe," he said, rubbing her forehead. "But don't worry about it. You need to be a little bit crazy. Crazy is the price you pay for having an imagination. It's your superpower. Tapping into the dream. It's a good thing not a bad thing.” 
― Ruth Ozeki, A Tale for the Time Being

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2013?

 Longest - Clash of Kings (I'm still picking my way through it)

Shortest -  The Ocean At The End of The Lane

 17. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers!

Remember in Game of Thrones when Bran caught Cersei and Jamie and got pushed off the tower? (tiny spoiler)

18. Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2013 (be it romantic, friendship, etc).

That's not easy, really. None of them really captured me. I supposed Reagan and Cath from Fangirl again, because I swear that's the sort of relationship I have with Danielle

19. Favorite Book You Read in 2013 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

Again, The Ocean At The End of The Lane

20. Best Book You Read In 2013 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else:

Bride's Story!

21. Genre You Read The Most From in 2013?

Probably Religious Non-fiction

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2013?

Jon Snow from the Game of Thrones books ~swoon~

23. Best 2013 debut you read?

Blue Like Jazz - I think that was a debut

24. Most vivid world/imagery in a book you read in 2013?

Bride's Story, literally because it's a Graphic Novel

25. Book That Was The Most Fun To Read in 2013?

Gosh, The Parasol Protectorate Series is a lot of fun. It's all the usual stuff (romance, super natural, and steampunk) that some people will curl a lip at you for, and normally call it a "guilty pleasure." But it's just a fun, fast, and funny read

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2013?

Even though it fell a little short of my expectations, that's A Tale For The Time Being again. The story of Nao's uncle and grandmother really tug at the heart strings - whoo-whee!

27. Book You Read in 2013 That You Think Got Overlooked This Year Or When It Came Out?

On Heaven and Earth - even though it was published for the first time in English this year and it's been out for a while. Pope Francis is Man of The Year (and he deserves it) but I think most people will pay attention to what he says as it makes the news than actually try to gain any insight into his mind.

 

(optional)

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2013? 

Book Riot is really entertaining and interesting

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2013? 

Story of a Soul - it's simple, short, and sweet, but I feel like it's 

3. Best discussion you had on your blog?

Not many people actually leave me any comments - LEAVE ME COMMENTS, PEOPLE! I'd love hearing from you guys!

4. Most thought-provoking review or discussion you read on somebody else’s blog?

I can't remeber if it was this article or maybe it was this one, but both pertain to about the same thing - and I think it's really interesting (give'em a read!)

5. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?

None really - The Louisiana Book Fair was about a month ago and I was too busy to attend

6. Best moment of book blogging/your book life in 2013?

When I figured out I could get ARC's (Advanced Readers Copies) from publishers

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

My review for Soulless - no one really left anything in the comment section, but a few friends did come up to me after they read it to talk about it. So that's P Cool!

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

I really wish more people would read more of my reviews. In my old Book Review LiveJournal, I got a lot of love for my book reviews, and I'm totally perplexed as to why no one seems as interested anymore.

9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

This summer, when my parents and I visited Arkansas, we found the most delightful bookstore in Eureka Springs, downtown area. I can't recall the name of it, but it contained some books I've never even heard of - and the most splendid children's books collection,,,

10.  Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?

I read 50 books already! 

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2013 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2014?

This goes back to question 14 - I have a huge stock pile of books that I bought when they were popular, which have had movies made of them, and aren't much talked about that I Still haven't yet read. My goal is to read most (if not all) of them.

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2014 (non-debut)?

Do you even have to ask? I'm pretty stoked for Landline, Rainbow Rowell's next book!

3. 2014 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

Welp. I don't know any...

 4. Series Ending You Are Most Anticipating in 2014?

Also, I try not to read many series'...

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2014?

I really, really hope my blog starts to pick up a few more readers. I remember the days of LiveJournal when I had a modest, by loyal followers who really liked what I said about books. It was so long ago, but I hope to reclaim that status.

Christmas Gift Ideas for Warrior Princesses

Hey guys! I thought it would be good form to make a quick list of things I thought would be neat Christmas gifts for little Warrior Princesses! Maybe as godparents or if you have a niece you might want to get her something that breaks down the gender-roles? Here are some ideas I got while out and about:

1. Goldie Blox: This is a cool game for girls that got funded through a KickStarter a while back. Basically, it teaches little girls the bare-bones basics of Engineering. I mean, that's pretty rad, right? There are tons of toys out there that encourage basic engineering, but are marketed for boys. Besides, there is a business suit koala and sweater vest sloth figurine in this game which I can promise you, you won't find that anywhere else.
2. LeapFrog Games: Okay, most kids actually have a LeapFrog device somewhere at the bottom of their toy chests. They might have gotten them last year and played with it for a bit and then got bored with it and never touched it again. But looking at the games for girls, I got really excited. Here's why - most of the ones marketed for girls teach.... MATH AND SCIENCE! I mean, how cool is that? There's this myth that so many of us believe that girls can't be good at either math or science - and sometimes that turns out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. But, even though it isn't my personal strength even I have to recognize that it's BS.
3. Perfectly Percy: This is a picture book. It doesn't exactly encourage a child's interest in math or science, but I do strongly advise considering giving books every year. And this book is so adorable I don't think it should really be allowed. I may have gotten emotional while reading it in the store - not because it's sad or anything. Just because it's really cute.

A to Z Book Survey

A while back I stumbled upon this Book-Blog Survey by Perpetual Page Turner. I decided that since I'll be taking over Reception at work for the next few days, and I'd have a lot of down-time, a innocent little post like this wouldn't hurt.

Author You've Read The Most Books From

Possibly Meg Cabot, though it is possible I've read all of Lois Duncan's books in Jr. High (does that count? They were clearly ghost written)

Best Sequel Ever

I can't think of anything off the top of my head, per say, but I think I'll answer 

Currently Reading

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, among some others...

Drink of Choice While Reading

Hot tea, m'dears - it's like an anchor, even if I don't drink any of it.

E-reader or physical book?

Physical book - all the way. But I have figured out that the Kindle app is extremely useful for boring parties.

Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated in High School

Well, I would have loved to have dated Stephen Maturin from Patrick O'Brian's series of books. (And then I pretty much did.)

Glad You Gave This Book a Chance

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

Hidden Gem Book

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier

Important Moment in Your Reading Life

Christmas Eve, the year I was in 3rd grade. My god-mother had given me a chapter book for Christmas and initially I was so extremely upset and raised three kinds of hell - which was amazing, because I was not a child prone to temper tantrums. But then I read the book, and it literally changed everything I thought about books for me. I'm really ashamed of the way I acted now, but I'm also eternally grateful for it too. It's the reason why I think giving children books early on is so extremely important.

Just Finished

Story of a Soul

Kinds of Books You Won't Read

Gentlemanly-type espionage, action movie equivalents. And books about sports, because sports are against my religion. 

Longest Book You've Read

Oh, Clash Of Kings, for goodness sake!

Major Book Hangover Because of

Ha! Probably Birdsong

Number of Bookcases You Own

Technically three of them, plus one built-in communal bookcase but I literally have books stacked on every flat surface that I conceivably stack them on. (And some that inconceivably! [am I using that correctly?]) 

One Book You Have Read Multiple Times

Jane Eyre!

Preferred Place to Read

On the living room couch, but only if no one else is in the living-room (so, never). Most of the time I read in my bed, with the radio on the block out other noises, or at a cafe.

Quote That Inspires You

"Let me live, love and say it well in good sentences."

Reading Regret

Not allowing friends to lend me so many books, actually. Whenever I visit my friends, I almost always come home with more books then I can read! It gets really hard to keep track of, and it's too hard telling them no!

Series You Started and Need to Finish (series is complete)

Game of Thrones. UGH! It's so LONG!

Three of Your All Time Favorite Books

Jane Eyre, Swamplandia!, and Runaway Bunny

Unapologetic Fangirl For

Mr. Darcy, Yo!

Very Excited for This Release More Than All the Others

Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russel, and the US edition of Morrissey's autobiography (which I have pre-ordered)

Worst Bookish Habit

Aaahhhh... I really shouldn't mark in library books, huh? That's a new habit of mine, too. :/

X Marks the Spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book

Haha, well since I'm at work, I'll have to wait until I get home to answer this, y'know?

Your Latest Book Purchase

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. I'm loving Fangirl so much, I went to the bookstore as soon as I could to buy MORE!

ZZZ-Snatcher Book (last one that kept you up way too late)

Harry Potter

So do we share any of these in common?  What are your answers?  If you did the survey, feel free to leave a link in the comments and I'll check out your posts!

Take the Pledge to Give Books!

Hey All!
Thanksgiving isn't even upon us yet, but I'm sure we're all trying to force that Holiday Enthusiasm! I came across this cool little thing on Pintrest today, and I thought it needed to be shared here too! Chronicle Books has a campaign to give 10,000 books to kids this holiday season. This is something I really care about - so I didn't hesitate to participate.
They're also asking that you add books to your Christmas shopping list this year, too. Most of my family and friends (sometimes begrudgingly) have come to expect this from me already. Amazon has a time saving feature where you can send ebooks to your friends' Kindles - which I'm trying out for the first time this year. My brother, who doesn't ever read any of the books I give him for Christmas, is still going to get a book wither he likes it or not (it's become a kind of joke between us - I buy him books he won't read, he buys me video games I can't play - but we do it anyway, because it's what we're best at buying). But more importantly, I give books every year to children - my cousins and the children I babysat while I was in college. Because I understand that traditions like this are important and become treasured. I understand that it instills a love of reading and (more importantly) learning early on. AND I understand that for Christmas and birthdays, children tend to get an overwhelming amount of clothes and toys as gifts, and if anyone appreciates the change of pace, their parents do. So consider giving a book this year, people!

NaNoWriMo

So, we're literally about a week into November, and I'm long over-due for this announcement. So, um - this year I'm going to be participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). In other words, I'm writing a novel! Don't worry, I'm also far behind on my daily goals in writing it too.
I've always thought about writing - I think I have a fair amount of skill at it (not a gift I was born with, but one I've developed from years of reading other people's books), but it's not an idea I've ever sincerely thought about pursuing.
Do I really think this novel I decided to write on a whim is going to be any good? Good enough to be published and read by the masses? Le Nope. But I do think it would be fun and amusing to let my friends read it, so there is also something there. Most writers say that they don't do it for the money, just for the opportunity for someone else to read their work. Honestly, I don't even know how I feel about that. My intentions with this is just to try something different and challenge my creativity in a new way. It's been about a year since I've graduated from college, and when that ended so did every good idea in my brain. I'm a little horrified to see what I'll be doing in 10 years, if in only a year I wanted to call it quits on Creative Thought. Creativity is as important as air to me. In fact, post-grad the thing that disturbed me the most after college isn't how stupid adults are, but how un-imaginative they are. I've met so few imaginative adults that it really kind of sickens me. Dear God, Please don't let me become like them!

So my I'm trying to write is a hipster romance novel. (I'm trying really hard not to take myself too seriously). I don't have as much time to spend writing it as I'd hoped, but lord bless I'm having a lot of fun with it so far.

Quelle Horreur!

image source - Graves and Ghouls 

If you were to ask me off hand what my favorite holiday was, I would say that I didn't have one. Nope, not even Christmas - and everyone loves Christmas. I think Halloween may be the closest  thing to my favorite holiday, just because of the attention I pay to it. I have some very fond memories of that fist-full amount of hours between after-school and trick-or-treating, the waiting and prepping. The air crisp and clean, the static sound of leaves rushing through the air, and during the main event - my favorite part - peeping into the foyers of the houses we'd visit  as my bag was being filled. No one really trick-or-treats in our neighborhood anymore, which is really too bad. I enjoy visiting with the parents and children who come by (always friends and acquaintances - usually students that attend the school my mother works at. It's amusing to see the expressions on the children's faces when they realize Teachers have Homes, just like They do!) At a certain age, I was deemed too old to dress up, and so just like that, I was done with Halloween. How can you love a holiday you aren't going to participate in? Though to my parents defense, my costumes were never ever store bought. They were always home made. It is one thing to make a tasteful Pocahontas costume for an 8 year old, another thing to make a historically accurate Gibson Girl costume for a 14 year old. So there is that.
A few years ago I decided I would honor the holiday they best way I knew how - by devoting the entire month to horror novels. Under normal circumstances, I actually hate the horror genre. Too often I look at the stories and themes far too pragmatically and think to myself "This isn't scary at all - it's ridiculous."Take The Ruins, for instance. It's about flesh eating plants. On the one hand, you will never view your mother's house plants the same way again (try walking past them armed with a plastic knife - just for in case - and then take a good long look at yourself). But at the end of the day, it's just about irrationally evil plants. The more I look at what we consider "scary," all it really sums up to is irrational violence. And irrational violence can at times be, well, funny.

So I'm not a fan of the horror genre. But every year I make a noble effort to try to read something from that genre. That in mind, it also takes me a tremendously long time to read these books. Most of them I never actually finish before I've fully formed and solidified my opinion. This year, rather than read novels, I've decided to try something new. I'm only going to read horror (or "spooky themed") anything-but-novels. So look out for those!

Blogging For Books

So... I have some big news! I've joined Blogging For Books, program from the fine Christian Literature publishers Water Brook Press. If you're interested in seeing more Christian Lit reviews here, this will be your dream come true (it's certainly mine!)

In other news, I will have a new book review coming this weekend, so check back soon!

"Hair For Hazel" and a Full Circle

Almost a year ago, I was prepping for college graduation. As an art major, I was anxious a lot during my college career, and one of the ways I tried to resolve my anxiety was to cut my hair - myself. Always a terrible, terrible idea. I'm not even sure what it was meant to accomplish, but I did it over and over again. At some point I decided to resist the urge and allow my hair to grow out until graduation - by then I could cut it and donate it to Locks of Love as a symbolic gesture. I wanted to know that something good could come from all the stress and fear and pressure I'd spent years under, though Art school doesn't compare to having cancer, or suffering from serious burns. Not at all. Still, as my hair grow longer and longer, I thought of it as the physical compilation of the long hours spent in the studio, away from friends and family, the frustration of never having enough money after having spent it on expensive art supplies that would likely just get thrown out, the arguments I would get into with my teachers and classmates, the blows to my self-esteem, the loss of a beloved pet, breaking relationships, the daily 30 minute (both ways) commute, rising gas prices, the after school job, politics, vegetarianism, bank balances, everything, everything, everything. I let my hair grow well over 18 inches, and when I became a real college graduate, I would cut it off and give it to someone who deserved it more than me. Someone who might never make it to college, but would want to.

This is what it looked like after I cut it.

Earlier that year, the ever popular YA author published the book The Fault in Our Stars. I've never read it, but I hope to. I got on to Tumblr today to see that the new trend among Nerdfightia is a similar project - cutting your hair to donate to Children With Hair Loss in honor of "Hair For Hazel" (Hazel being the heroine of The Fault in Our Stars). Read this article to understand more. Now, I understand that the two events aren't individually related. But I knew at the time that I did it that I was sending something good and wonderful into the world, though it was a little gesture. I'm not going to claim that this was the result of that tiny gesture - clearly it isn't. Still, in my heart I feel like I'm seeing something I did come full circle. I'll never get to see the beautiful kid I donated my hair to, but I did get to see this instead. And I'm going to encourage you all to consider helping too, if you can in some way. I'm so proud of my fellow Nerdfighters, and so in awe of them. This is really huge, and it makes such a big difference. It's totally humbling and so inspiring. Remember, hair grows back.

Happy Birthday, Emily Bronte!

Today is the 195th birthday of one of my favorite authors - the reclusive, moody, brilliant Emily Brontë. When I first discovered her as a high school sophomore, I found a kindred spirit. In fact, I started to doubt wether or not reincarnation couldn't be possible. Our personalities - our fierce privacy, our distaste for society, our love of animals and nature, and our contradictory vivaciousness - were so similar, that for the first time in my life I seriously thought she and I could have been one in the same. Now, that is probably untrue. Just some whimsy from a imaginative teen. But regardless, I continue to be a big fan, especially because we are regardless cut from the same cloth.

Here are some neat facts about Emily:

• Emily almost never left her house. In fact, even though her father was the parish vicar, she wouldn't even leave the house on Sundays.
• When her sisters Charlotte and Anne decided to publish their works (under the masculine pen names Currier, Ellis, and Acton Bell) Emily was the one who initially fought it. She did not want the world to see her private writings, even though of all of her siblings she might be the most talented. So we should be grateful for Charlotte and Anne.
• Emily rescued animals. Besides her sisters, father, and brother, her pets were her closest friends. She had one pet dog in particular named Keeper. He was a mutt, but was fiercely loyal to Emily and loved her more than anything. It was said that Keeper once got into a fight with a pack of local dogs, as Keeper was wont to do. Emily would appear on the scene and would physically beat back the dogs to separate them. Once, when Keeper got into a scrap with a dog that had rabies she and was bitten, she calmly returned to her house, got a hot poker from the hearth, and castrated herself. Talk about a fierce Victorian bitch! Eventually, her aunt sent all of her pets away without telling Emily. Something she couldn't easily forgive.
• Though Emily is famous for her only novel Wuthering Heights, she was an exceptional poet. Emily died at the age of 30. But Charlotte based her character Shirley, in the novel of the same name, on her younger sister. So if you're interested in getting a 3rd hand glimpse of what her character was like, add that to your reading list.

Hiatus

image source: retronaut.com

Sorry, but this following week I'll be on a much anticipated family vacation. I'll be catching up on some reading in the meantime, so when I return I should *hopefully* have some new books to share with you!

In the meantime, please enjoy this image I found of a well loved classic American novelist: Ms. Fitzgerald. What? No, not Zelda Fitzgerald. Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald. In Drag. Duh! Pay more attention - my grammar may not always be perfect, but I do take some pride in it. By the way, this photo was taken sometime between 1913 and 1917 - during his years in Princeton and accompanying his first published works.

Puffin Season Is Upon Us!

So my favorite animals are puffins. They're totally precious, bumbling little seabirds that migrate between the Icelandic, Scottish, and British coast, and the North American Atlantic coats. The summer months are when a large population of these birds come to nest on the coast of Maine and Nova Scotia.
These adorable house-cat sized birds are endangered. Since the 70's and 80's conservation has taken off to try and protect them.
I'm not sure why I suddenly discovered them, but I know I've been obsessed with them since the 2nd grade. I have a small collection of stuffed puffin toys, books, prints, etc. Now that I'm older, puffin conservation is one of my pet causes. Part of my summer traditions is to watch the puffin live cam from the shoreline of Seal Island in Maine, which you can't actually visit as a tourist, because Seal Island was owned by the government as kind of target practice, though it's been retired - pretty wild, right? But that makes it absolutely perfect for animal conservation.

This year there has been a dent in the puffin population owning to some mysterious deaths on the coast of Scotland. Scientists aren't really clear what's happened, but all of the deaths had one thing in common. It appears most of them were starved. Maybe it's because of the dramatic weather changes affecting their food supply (which is the rooted main cause for their endangerment), but I'm no expert in the matter. Now they've returned to the coast of North America, and our biologists are counting their numbers.
I'll keep you all updated when I learn anything new about Puffins ;) In the mean time, here are some puffin facts:

• Puffins are considered a delicacy in Iceland, since at one time there was an over-abundance of puffins and they were actually kind of a pest.
• They live most of their lives at sea, but rather than flying over the water they float on the waves.
• Puffins tend to keep one mate for life.
• They can "fly" underwater.